The Priests' Code

by B. B. Balthis

  ‘You do that, Caro. I can’t promise to do the same, so if there’s anything you want to know, ask now!’

  CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

  We were soon in the car park at Rennes-le-Château. There were a few people milling about and the outdoor restaurants looked full, the murmur of voices carrying across to the path by the church. We walked in, the interior dim for such a bright day. An American couple walked out, talking quietly as they went and leaving the church momentarily empty.

  ‘Hang on a minute. I just want a few snaps of my old friend, Asmodeus. The others didn’t come out very well.’

  ‘Asmodeus’ was a large and somewhat startling devil statue, crouching by the entrance to the church, with a water stoup shaped like a large clam on his back. There were two salamanders above it, as well as the four archangels, in various poses of the Catholic ritual of crossing oneself. One of the angels had a finger pointing down towards the water stoup, and an inscription:

  PAR CE SIGNE TU LE VAINCRAS

  translating to

  BY THIS SIGN YOU WILL CONQUER HIM/IT

  There were also the initials B.S. As with the rest of the church interior, it was brightly and ornately painted, and like everything else to do with Saunière, caused much interest and conjecture.

  On the back wall of the church was an enormous and ornate relief, showing Jesus on a mount with adoring people around him and flowers everywhere. Known as the Fleury Monument, it was made with Saunière’s specific instructions, which he then added to. Caro came over to stand beside me and we both looked up at it.

  ‘I know we studied this years ago, but there are a few new bits of information that I’ve found.’

  The whole thing was split into two parts, summer and winter: flowers and leaves on one side; bare twigs on the other. It was a pictorial metaphor for before and after Saunière’s discoveries, everything symbolically turning to winter when truth revealed itself to him.

  At the bottom-right of the winter side was a well-painted, ornate pilaster top, representing the one that he removed from under the pulpit. It was here that he had supposedly found Bigou’s letter and, if you looked carefully, you could even see a roll of paper coming up through it. It was difficult to dispute, and the pilaster with its cavity still existed, having been bought by a villager some time ago.

  ‘The pilaster top is obvious, but the plank of wood at its side was harder to work out. I just kept staring at it until it came to me. It’s a piece of the cross that Jesus was supposed to have been crucified on. It never happened and so it’s being shown broken, alongside the truth, which was written on the parchment found in the pillar. If you look just behind that, you can see the top of the Carolingian altar pedestal and the square cavity in it. Undoubtedly it would have held a relic, most likely of a saint.’

  She was right. Once pointed out, it was easy to see. Saunière had pulled out the old Carolingian pillar from under the altar as part of his renovations, and it now stood in the museum to the side of the church.

  ‘And there’s a small gravestone too, Marie de Nègre’s, I assume. We’re familiar with the little priest figure at the back representing Saunière, but it wasn’t until I magnified it that I saw the parchments in both hands. He’s saying that he still has them; they’re hidden somewhere. There’s no way he would have handed them over without having either kept the originals or taken copies. His little self-portrait looks so sad and lonely on the winter side with his discoveries. It must have had a huge impact on him. He did train to be a priest, after all, so must have had deep religious beliefs at one time.’

  I stood back a little further. ‘What do you make of the sack of gold at the bottom of the hill?’

  ‘I don’t think it is gold; it’s a sack of rocks. If they were gold, he would have painted them bright gold, like he’s done elsewhere. I think it’s a metaphor saying that, although he gained financially and literally found gold, he lost his faith and so discards the sack, along with his belief in God.’

  ‘You may well be right. Isn’t it odd; we spent so much time studying it, and yet we didn’t see what we see now. Once pointed out, it’s clear, although I suppose all paintings are like that: the more you look, the more you see?’

  At this moment, a few people wandered in, and we stood quietly in front of the large statue of John the Baptist pouring water on Jesus crouching down in front of him, in a strangely submissive pose.

  CHAPTER FIFTY

  ‘We need to be out of here as soon as possible, Caro.’

  ‘I know. Can I just quickly run through each one of the Stations that Saunière altered? Then we can go.’

  ‘OK, but speed it up.’

  ‘Right. Saunière uses the Stations to give a narrative of his discoveries using, as before, the codes of numerology and runic symbolism, as well as local and historical references.

  * * *

  ‘In Station 1, Pilate’s assistant reads from a parchment, which replicates the discovery of Bigou’s letter. We noted that before, but he then gives several references to his discovery of Marie de Nègre’s tombstone and what was underneath. If you look at the hem of the floor covering, you can clearly see an R, in black, which I believe refers to Roc, or Roque, and Rennes-le-Château. A bit further along, he’s painted in a small black mountain, under the black stone slab, with a black child standing on it. This is a reference to Nègre, which I assume is derived from the Latin nigrum, meaning black.

  ‘Roque-Nègre, or Black Mountain, is opposite the old Templar watchtower of Blanchefort, and the mountain was historically mined for gold and silver. In mythology, the Golden Griffin was the guardian of treasure, a symbol of the divine, and of Jesus. Its feathers brushed across the eyes restored sight to the blind, which is a direct message from Saunière, telling people to open their eyes to the truth. Pilate wears a veil to represent veiled truth, and washes his hands in a silver bowl. The theme of silver bowls, discs, and dishes is prevalent throughout the stations. Silver is a symbolic representation of the moon, and links with water to provide protection for travellers on the sea. It also represents childbirth, divine marriage, the feminine, fertility, illumination, writing hidden meanings, and inner knowledge. The bowl also links up Asmodeus, and the piscina on his back, but I’ll come back to that.’

  * * *

  We moved across to Station 2. I could hear voices from outside but, so far, no one had come in.

  ‘Some of that’s entirely new to me, but I’m feeling really edgy.’

  ‘There are too many people about for anyone to make a move on us, surely. I’ll be as quick as I can, but I want you to see the details as I talk. Station 2 is much simpler, but so interesting, and everyone else seems to have missed the most obvious clue. The silver Migdal tower in the background brings Mary Magdalene into the story, migdal being the Hebrew word for tower. The modern town of Migdal is built over the traditional site of Magdala, where some say she came from. If you look just above the crucifix, you can clearly see a painted silver pilaster top, just like the one in the Fleury relief, and where he found Bigou’s letter. Jesus is also pointing down to a black rock on the ground, and a man bends down and picks up a flat black slab, reiterating Saunière’s finds under Marie de Nègre’s tombstone.’

  At this point, a couple with two small children walked in, and she lowered her voice. The children proceeded to climb on the pews, one falling onto the tiled floor. The church was filled with loud shrieks and, thankfully, they soon left.

  ‘What a dreadful noise…! I can’t believe we didn’t spot the pilaster top before.’

  ‘I know. Very odd.’

  * * *

  ‘Moving on, Station 3 is much more complex. If you look to the bottom of the cross, you can see an etched triangle. It’s been painted over recently, but it’s still there. As you know, it symbolises a union of mind, body, and soul, or male, female, and offspring, as well as
sacred or royal bloodlines. The number 3 is symbolic of the ascended master, a great teacher, prophet, or healer, now in the spiritual realm, and the third rune, Thurisaz, represents a rising of consciousness from the unknown to known.’

  ‘It’s startling. How can it be coincidence? It all fits like a jigsaw and I’m absolutely convinced that it’s all deliberate on Saunière’s part. No question at all.’

  ‘I challenged myself repeatedly when I first realised that Saunière was using the numerology and runic symbols as codes. I’d be the first to argue a weak theory, but I don’t question it anymore. Now, look at the golden horn, shaped like an arc. This is wordplay; a homophone, referring to the nearby Cathar abbey/château/stronghold of Arques. It belonged to the Abbey of Lagrasse until the Albigensian crusades. They were an ancient community of Benedictine monks, who were highly competitive in the acquisition and creation of books, documents, and manuscripts.

  ‘In 1231, Arques was taken by the crusader, Simon de Montfort, who gave it, and Rhedae, including Rennes-le-Château, to his lieutenant, Pierre de Voisins. It was taken from him by Oliver de Termes, who then sold it back to Voisins a few years later. The Voisins, d’Hautpoul, Blanchefort, de Nègre, and Fleury families all intermarried over the next few hundred years and were the Lords of Rhedae right through to Abbé Bigou’s time in the late eighteenth century.

  ‘In the background, the château looks remarkably like the one here in the village. One of the towers, known locally as the alchemy tower, is round and surrounded with myths and legends. Records refer to a woman in the region at the beginning of the first century, called Mary the Jewess, who was an alchemist. Mary the Ebionite, the term for the early Jewish Christian movement in the first few centuries, is also recorded, and it seems likely that both Marys, and Mary Magdalene, were the same person.

  ‘I also think there’s a Joan of Arc clue here. She always carried a banner bearing the names of Jesus and Mary. Many believe that Joan had Templar lineage and that the stories of her being a peasant are untrue. She certainly had connections in high places, and even visited Fleury Abbey after taking part in a nearby battle. There’s a statue of Joan in Antugnac church, where Saunière was stand-in priest for a year in 1890/91. I think that the golden arc might also refer to the Ark of the Covenant. They’re all spelt differently but have similar pronunciation. I want to talk to you about Brenac in, but we can do that at home.’

  ‘I wondered if you’d bring that up. It’s the Ark painting, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes… and something else too.’

  A party of tourists came in, and we sat down until they had gone.

  * * *

  ‘Station 4. The white sail, symbolising the journey by boat of Jesus and his entourage to France, and possibly of Joan’s banner. It’s worth noting the number of four-sided towers, both plain and silvered in the stations. Apart from the Migdal reference, we already know that 4 represents truth, fate, illumination, knowledge, wisdom, and the energy of the four Archangels. 2+2 = 4. The gnostic interpretation of the 22nd rune, Ingwaz, is of the Holy Grail. There are also four silver discs or bowls on the sail, with the silver and numerological symbolism. A couple of points worth mentioning are that Joseph of Arimathea was a dealer in metals, including tin and silver, and that Saunière may well have been building his own Magdala tower by this time.’

  * * *

  ‘Stations 5, 6, and 7 have no additions, so let’s move on to 8.’

  ‘The most obvious clue is the St Andrew’s tartan wrapped around the child.’

  ‘Correct. Do you remember how much trouble we had in finding a book on Scottish tartan? There were no computers back then.’

  ‘I do remember.’ It was in the mid-seventies. We didn’t want to tell anyone why we wanted it, and eventually, Charles sourced one from a friend.

  ‘Good old Charles.’

  ‘I know. Oh Ben… I miss him so much. I miss them all.’ She wiped a few tears from her face and gave a big sigh.

  ‘The fortified church in Antugnac is Saint Andrew, patron saint of Scotland, and we know the manor was once owned by the de Nègre family. Of course, because of your house we know about tunnels, the painted room, and its use by the church some years ago. On the Andrews coat of Arms is victrix fortuna sapienta, “wisdom is the conqueror of fortune,” which also seems very appropriate. Perhaps Saunière was a member of François Fleury’s Scottish Masons? There are eight letters in Antugnac. There’s nothing of note on 9 apart from the fact that some moronic vandals have lopped off Jesus’s head, so let’s go to 10.’

  ‘I think you’re right about the Masons. Look, Caro, we’ve been in here for twenty minutes. Another ten and were leaving.’

  ‘OK, boss.’

  ‘That’s a laugh; since when?’

  ‘Very funny.’

  * * *

  ‘OK, Station 10 is all about the three dice being thrown by the Roman soldier. The same morons have lopped off his arm. It makes me sick! Anyway, they show a 3, 4, and 5, totalling 12, which totals 3. We’ve covered numbers 3 and 4 already, but 5 represents sexuality, and the fifth rune, Raidho, represents the journey in narrative form, which seems rather appropriate. The twelfth rune is Jera, representing the human passage of time from birth to death and waiting for the correct time to act. Adding the numbers from the station and dice together, 10 + 12 = 22. Again!

  * * *

  ‘Station 12 shows Magdalene holding a prayer book that looks very like the one that Saunière carried with him everywhere. As you know, when he was exhumed and moved, his prayer book was taken from him.’ She paused, and looked at me. ‘Ben, I can’t help thinking that someone’s reached this point before us, but there’s nothing published about it anywhere, which is even worse. The whole area is slowly being stripped clean. It’s all so sad, but only makes me more determined to write my book.’

  ‘You’re right, and for the first time, I’m beginning to understand how important it is that you do, but it worries me as well.’

  ‘Don’t worry… it’ll be fine. I’ve nearly finished…’

  * * *

  ‘The only thing of note in Station 13 is that the tower in the background looks just like the one Saunière built, but Station 14 is a little more interesting, since Jesus’s hand seems to disappear into a long scroll. Earlier photos show this area as a poorly constructed hand over lumpy folds of fabric. Maybe it was vandalised and this is the repair, or this is how it was before being covered over? I’d need some much earlier pictures to know for sure.’

  * * *

  ‘Finally, I wanted to show you the interlocking fingers on the Magdalene relief under the altar that there has been so much conjecture about. You just need to use runic symbolism again. The interlocking fingers form a double cross, one on top of each other, imitating the 22nd rune, Ing or Ingwaz, and symbolic, as before, of the Holy Grail. If you look carefully, just behind her shoulder on the hillside, what initially looks like castle ruins are the letters J and M: Jesus and Mary.’

  CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

  I walked towards the altar to take a closer look. Saunière may have been dead for nearly a hundred years, but his presence lingered on. Good for him, I thought… I doubted that I would be so lucky. I jumped as something stirred in the shadow behind the pulpit.

  ‘Gosh, you made me jump then,’ I said, thinking it was a tourist, or even a child that had been hiding. ‘Good Lord, Peter, what the hell are you doing here? You really scared me. That’s the second time you’ve done that.’

  Peter looked at me, his face pale and almost expressionless. He was dressed in black from head to foot and had large, dark circles under his eyes, as though he hadn’t slept for days. He also looked unkempt, and even from my position a few metres away, he smelt stale; quite unlike the forest fresh fragrance that he usually left in his wake. His blue eyes continued to stare at me and, in that moment, I felt afraid. There w
as a type of insanity that could be seen in a certain look of the eye, and I had witnessed it several times when I was the chaplain at Wormwood Scrubs, some years ago. I had, over time, come to associate it with a psychopath, and a shiver went down my spine. He didn’t blink, or move, and then I heard Caro call out.

  ‘Peter, is that you? What on earth are you doing out here? You’re the last person I expected to see. Is Merry here too? How nice to see you.’

  At that moment, he pulled his hands from the grubby raincoat. I held mine out to shake his, but shaking hands had clearly not been his intention. He raised his right arm, now holding a black pistol, and pointed it at me, then her, and then me again.

  ‘CARO, GET DOWN! GET DOWN NOW!’ I shouted. ‘Peter, get a grip of yourself, man; you’re not well. Let me help you.’

  ‘I don’t need any help from the likes of you, Father Benoît. Interfering and meddling in things that are nothing to do with you. Damn Catholics are all the same, thinking they’re better than everyone else. Well, not this time, you’ve gone too far. Think you’ve discovered the secrets of my church, do you? Well, let me tell you this. They’ve been held for hundreds of years, and we’re not going to let scum like you or anyone else ruin everything.’

  ‘Peter, stop this nonsense. I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  ‘It’s “grand master” to you. Get down on your knees and show some respect before I finish you off. It’s very fitting that you and your stupid sister should die here. Saunière nearly wrecked everything, and you two are the only people who have come anywhere close to what he uncovered. There’s plenty of room in his old tomb, I believe. Perhaps you can go in there with his whore, Marie. In fact, I’ll see to it myself.’

  He aimed his gun over to the side of the building and fired a shot. Even though it was silenced, its noise still echoed around the church and Caro screamed.